Human papillomavirus infection in women with and without cervical cancer in Tbilisi, Georgia.

Background: No accurate estimates of cervical cancer incidence or mortality currently exist in Georgia. Nor are there any data on the population-based prevalence of high-risk (HR) human papillomavirus (HPV) infection, which, in the absence of good-quality screening, is known to correlate with cervical cancer incidence.

Methods: We obtained cervical cell specimens from 1309 women aged 18-59 years from the general population of Tbilisi, and also from 91 locally diagnosed invasive cervical cancers (ICC).